Restaurant

Restaurant of the Month, Sweden This neighbour won’t mind you popping by unannounced

Nabo Brasserie is a lively and welcoming restaurant, beautifully located next to Tegnérlunden Park in Stockholm city centre. Here, guests can enjoy delicious food, as well as excellent service and entertainment. This simple and friendly neighbourhood brasserie has a soft spot for the fun in life.

By Hanna Andersson | Photos: Nabo Brasserie

“Nabo means neighbour in old Swedish, and we decided to create the ultimate gastronomic neighbour,” explains Andreas Höistad, founder and co-owner of Nabo.

Nabo Brasserie is divided over two floors of a 19th-century house. At the entrance, you are met by a long bar and vibrant dining room with an open kitchen. Downstairs, you will find another dining room and an event space which can be booked “Beyond our weekend DJ nights, we also arrange day parties and events. We love to combine food and drinks with music. We also host art exhibitions where local artists can display their work. We never want to exclude anyone, and everyone should feel welcome here,” says Höistad.

Wine, dine and wine again The menu is dynamic and European, focusing on well-known favourites with a modern twist. This is combined with a carefully sourced wine list that the waiters will guide you through. “Nick, my co-owner, is a trained sommelier, and he works hard to create the perfect wine list. He is very excited about sharing his knowledge with our guests. When it comes to the food, we never want to limit ourselves. Our French-schooled head chef Gerdvilas Zalys has the freedom to experiment with the menu and changes the dishes regularly, depending on season and produce. We like to mix comfort food with new and fun ideas,” finishes Höistad.

for intimate work lunches, celebratory cocktails or big birthday parties.

“We want the ambiance to capture our love for dining, drinking and entertainment. Upon arrival, you will see the long bar and the bartenders working their magic. It instantly puts you in a great mood!” says Höistad with a smile.

Saturday Brunch Nabo Brasserie aims to provide entertainment and culture as well as delicious food and drinks. Every weekend, the exciting brunch menu offers classics such as fluffy pancakes and mimosas, and new, modern combinations like Italian steak tartare and honey basil daquiris – perfect fuel before you head out to explore the city. By night, the neighbourhood brasserie turns up the heat with DJs and well-crafted cocktails and is open for dinner and drinks from Monday to Saturday. www.restaurangnabo.se Instagram: @restaurangnabo Facebook: Nabo

Restaurant of the Month, Finland Seahorse Restaurant: Finnish classics and culture since 1934

Nestled in the cosy, prestigious neighbourhood of Ullanlinna that curves along the Baltic Sea and makes up part of the southern tip of Helsinki, Seahorse Restaurant (Ravintola in Finnish) is a harmonious mix of past and present, and a safe haven for locals and visitors alike. All are graciously welcomed and treated to relaxing surroundings and good food.

By Molly McPharlin | Photos: Seahorse Restaurant

Seahorse originally opened in 1934 and will celebrate its 90th birthday in 2024. The menu has changed little over the years. The restaurant is known for its classic Finnish cuisine, with dishes like generous portions of crispy fried herring, vorschmak, iced cranberries with hot homemade caramel sauce, and their famous Finnish meatballs. Seahorse showcases Finnish food and its reputation has played a vital role in promoting Finnish food culture internationally.

Its openness and relaxed atmosphere have made it a central meeting point for many different types of people over the years. Artists, politicians and writers sit alongside families, date-night couples, travellers and friends enjoying an evening out. The snug booths, comfortable tables taken place, famous owners have come and gone. It has closed occasionally during hard times, but always managed to open again. Speculation has swirled around who painted the famous seahorse mural in the back of the main room of the restaurant; in reality, it was done by student artists from the nearby city of Espoo over three nights in March, 1970. Still, no one has yet figured out where it got its name. Seahorses, however, remain the restaurant’s symbol, proudly defining it as a bastion of Finnish hospitality and food around the world.

and dreamy painted seascapes on the walls create an atmosphere of warmth.

Staff are hospitable, open and unassuming, greeting those from all of walks of life with respect and kindness. One family mentioned that when they visited the restaurant with their son who has autism, they were given his favourite table every time. Another customer spoke of the delight they experienced when celebrating birthdays and special events at Seahorse. And another, an artist from the UK who spent three months living in Helsinki, explained how he would enjoy a drink there in the evenings with local fellow artists and get to know the city and its residents.

Seahorse is a restaurant with a history. Over the years, legendary parties have www.seahorse.fi Instagram: @ravintolaseahorse Facebook: Sea Horse

Restaurant of the Month, Denmark STUD!O: Playful and sustainable gastronomy at its finest

After months of refurbishments and eager anticipation, STUD!O has opened the doors to its new premises in Carlsberg Byen in Copenhagen. On 2 December, the first guests were welcomed to sample the widely-acclaimed kitchen’s unique twist on sustainable, high-end Nordic-inspired cuisine.

By Trine Ejlskov Jensen-Martin | Photos: Chris Tønnesen

Head chef and co-owner Christoffer Sørensen is elated to be back in the kitchen of this exciting restaurant, which is causing ripples in gastronomic circles in Denmark and abroad. Sørensen was awarded the Michelin Guide’s ‘Young Chef Award 2021’ after just four months at the helm of STUD!O. The same year, the renowned White Guide Denmark named him ‘Young Chef Talent of the Year’ and ranked the restaurant on its most prestigious list, the ‘Global Master Class’.

The menu comprises exquisite modern Nordic dishes, which reflect the changemployees, that describes the restaurant’s sustainability goals in relation to economy, environment and people.

“The ideals we put forward should be obvious because it is about looking after your team. It’s about caring – something we should all do,” he says. “Everyone is important, and we want every single person who works here to be happy and to stay around.” The focus on longevity and commitment supports a feeling of individual responsibility, and every person in the STUD!O family is genuinely invested in the place and its values.

From the get-go, the restaurant has been shooting for a Michelin star, but the way they achieve this is crucial. STUD!O wants to be the first truly sustainable Michelin-star restaurant, and to earn the accolade for their success in

ing seasons and local produce, and the service in the restaurant is warm and welcoming. At the very core, STUD!O’s team is uncompromisingly sustainable in their approach to food, people and the environment. Here, they care as much for their employees and guests as about where their produce comes from and how it is grown.

Manifesting ideals “It is easy to say you are sustainable, but to put it into practice is another matter,” says Sørensen. STUD!O adheres to ‘the Manifesto’ – a declaration, signed by all

the three dimensions of sustainability – economy, environment and people.

Seasonal reflections on the menu “I love cooking with fresh fish and seafood, using lots of vegetables and that which is growing around me,” says Sørensen. “It would be amazing to one day have a greenhouse, so we can use our own produce in the kitchen,” he continues. The menu does not change every week, but dishes are tweaked here and there over time, so the changes in the seasons are reflected on the menu.

Sørensen and restaurant manager Jesper Nilsen work closely together to come up with outstanding new dishes for the menu. “Sometimes a dish will come about because I feel inspired by a wine!” says Nilsen. But it is the local, seasonal ingredients that are the star of the show at every turn.

Down-to-earth fine dining “It is important to us that our guests feel relaxed and comfortable and truly enjoy their visit,” Nilsen and Sørensen agree. The service and attitude at STUD!O are focused on delivering the best possible guest experience, in which everyone is made to feel welcome. “We are a highend restaurant in terms of the food and the service we provide, but it is informal, and no one should feel out of place,” says Nilsen. the people. It is a winning combination that showcases modern, high-end Nordic cuisine at its absolute finest and most sustainable, guaranteeing that STUD!O will continue its upwards trajectory.

The food speaks for itself, and people will no doubt be queuing up for a taste of this exciting new kid on the block. So, it might be wise to book a table before the next trip to Copenhagen.

Their approach to fine dining and dedication to their core values is admirable. Throw into the mix one of the most exciting chefs to come out of Denmark in recent times, and the cracking team who run the restaurant day to day, and you have a recipe for success.

Every meal matters STUD!O is a part of the LOCA group (‘Love before cash’), for whom sustainable gastronomy is at the core of every business, with the tagline ‘every meal matters’. At STUD!O, every meal and every guest certainly matter. The quality of the food, the wine, and the service go hand in hand with respect for the produce, the process and www.studiocph.dk Instagram: @studiocph Facebook: Studio

LOCA: www.locagruppen.dk

Squid ink, seaweed, crispy chicken skin & fermented cucumber. Brown Venus mussel & soy pearls. Catch of the day, white soy & yuzu

Restaurant of the Month, Norway A taste of Japan in the Arctic

You find the entrance down this lovely alley.

Not many people would open a new restaurant at the tail-end of a pandemic, but that is what Dick Chiang did. He was already an established restaurant owner in Tromsø, Norway, with a successful sushi restaurant under his belt, so when his favourite restaurant space became available in late 2021, he jumped at the chance to open something new.

By Hanna Margrethe Enger | Photos: Ulrikke Lorentzen

Hibana means ‘fire spark’ and it fits both the restaurant and its owner. Chiang is passionate about food, and at the restaurant, meat is grilled on an open fire using the Japanese robatayaki method. Often shortened to ‘robata’, it is similar to barbequing. But the Josper Robatagrill in the kitchen at Hibana is unlike anything you’d find in a regular home garden. At 1.5 metres tall and able to reach temperatures of 350 degrees centigrade, it is enough to make any barbeque enthusiast quite jealous indeed.

Chiang’s passion caught the eye of the building’s owner. He loved Chiang’s concept and Hibana was soon able to move into Mackgården, a beautiful Art Nouone who knew how to use local ingredients. But finding someone like that to join his kitchen team proved difficult. Chiang chose chefs with a background in French cuisine. He found three chefs from London and brought them to Tromsø. “We started playing with local ingredients in a French and Japanese way,” Chiang explains. “We have, for example, rack of reindeer instead of rack of lamb, which we grill and serve with Korean chilli beans.”

They also serve gyoza with ‘klippfisk’ – salted and dried cod, and dim sum with prawns from Lyngen. Northern Norway is a treasure chest for seafood lovers, and Hibana is perfecting the fusion of Norwegian, French and Asian.

Informal fine dining For Hibana, nothing is more important than high-quality ingredients, and the more local, the better. Though they are uncompromising on using the best ingredients and providing excellent service,

veau building. The restaurant shares a cosy alleyway with a few other restaurants and bars, and is a lovely little destination in itself, with a great atmosphere.

True global fusion Though Chiang knows Japanese and Asian flavours well, he wanted some-

Sea urchin.

Rack of reindeer.

The restaurant has a cosy atmosphere. at a fine dining level, Hibana is a very informal restaurant. The atmosphere is laid back, cosy and a little rustic. The aim is to make the guests feel at home.

“Initially we based the idea on izakaya, a Japanese bar and grill concept where people meet after work to have a glass of beer or sake and be served some grilled food on the side. Now, we’ve switched to a tasting menu, where the chefs put together lots of dishes and fill the table with delicious food,” explains Chiang.

Sharing food like this is a very social from of dining – something common in Asia, but not so much in Norway. Still, Norwegians have warmly embraced it. “When there are more people around the table, the threshold for trying something new is lower. It makes people more adventurous,” says Chiang. “For example, if we serve sea urchins, those who have never tried it before might say no thanks. But then someone else tries it, and then the others have to try it, too.”

The best, freshest ingredients A dish is only as good as its ingredients, and Tromsø is spoilt when it comes to local produce. The fjords and the Norwegian sea provide Hibana with fresh fish, king crab and sea urchins. While they take pride in using local ingredients, not everything can be locally sourced.

Hibana is mostly about robata and great pieces of meat, from ribeye and tenderloin to Omaha and Toma Hawk. They even serve Wagyu, the finest and most succulent steak in the world. Wagyu is, of course, not local to Tromsø, but you can be certain the quality is top notch. And you are unlikely to find it anywhere else in the city.

Chiang started Hibana because he missed Japan and he missed robata. With a landlord who believed in his idea, and chefs who moved countries for him, he has created something very special, both for Tromsø locals and for visiting tourists.

www.hibana.no Instagram: @hibanarobata Facebook: hibanarobata